3 comments about Motocross & Off-Road Performance Handbook (Motorbooks Workshop).

1. This is a good book and the only one of its kind of which I am aware. On that basis, I can recommend it heartily. However, there is plenty of room for improvement in future editions. Most obviously, the balance of coverage needs to be tipped in the direction of 4-strokes. At present there is a 4-stroke chapter, but it follows three longer chapters on 2-strokes engines and repairs. The other serious weakness, in my view, is the lack of a complete and detailed index. The publisher cut more than a few corners here. There are tons of missing entries: tire, tire pressure, tire selection, tire mounting ... just to give one example. And some entries are silly: "two-stroke engine" with two pages cited, despite the fact that there are three chapters relating to the subject. But all that said, there is plenty of really useful information in the book. The chapter on tuning tips, for instance, is wonderful, as is the extensive range of illustrations.



2. I have been tinkering with motorcycles and dirtbike for 39 years now. I really enjoyed reading and re-reading this book. It contains practical examples on many different models and years of commonly available bikes and also the theory behind how it all works.
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to get better at riding and maintaning dirtbikes.



3. This is a must have-must read reference book for any and all dirt bike riders/mechanics. If you are thinking of doing some of your own dike maintenance you will well served with this edition. Even offers some performance tweaks for specific bikes/models.

No comments about How to Repair Your Motorcycle (Motorbooks Workshop).

5 comments about Harley-Davidson Century.

1. Wow ! That is the first thing that comes to mind when going through this book. Although I have quite some books about HD I'm very impressed by this huge book.
   Written by the best authors around, with stunning photographs that you haven't seen in other books and printed on thick high quality paper this book is great value for money.

   The book describes all the different parts of HD history by going through all the models that have been produced the last 100 years. Not so much the technical descriptions are to be found but more the stories behind the models. The TC-88 story as an example is like a fairy tale if you're a HD-lover. How did they come up with the idea, what did they do and what problems they encountered, how they solved it and why certain things are the way they are is all in this story.

   If youre looking for a book that describes all the different colours, serialnumbers and options for each modelyear than this is NOT your book, but if you like the story of HD, beautifull pictures of almost every model and good stories and tales by the best writers that don't hesitate and order this heavy book.

   I would still buy it if it was twice the price! It's absolutely fantastic!




2. Outside the bedroom. Boys prefer the pictures but there are wonderful marvy words for the girls, even the children can play with this. and for rainy days when your home alone or stuck at the work place read "THE SECOND COMING OF AGE" by: Vedrine, the greatest Harley semi-fiction ever written.



3. This book is worth every penny just for the photography alone. The fascinating and informative text is like a bonus. This is the real Harley story, not the corporate propoganda garbage the Motor Company puts out. The Hunter Thompson essay is hilarious. Buy it.



4. I have yet to recieve this item and am very disappointed in this fact and would still like to get this book.



5. This book offers the most in-depth detailed information I have read about HD in a long time. Factual research with great pictures makes this book a winner. If you are a fan of Harley-Davidson or any motorcycle for that matter, I highly reccomend this book!

No comments about The Big Book of Harley-Davidson Horsepower: Evo,Twin-Cam,and V-Rod Hop-Ups.

5 comments about Choppers: Heavy Metal Art.

1. I purchased this book for a friend who is very in to choppers and bikes. He was very pleased at the information & photographs provided. In turn, I too, who knew nothing about this art..have become a fan myself. Great book for collection.



2. If you like to gaze at Motorcycles and admire machinery built by hand. You will enjoy this book. Also good bio's on the guys who build the bikes. Looking forward to the sequel from this author and photographer.



3. Indian Larry's bike is pictured on the cover and I find myself opening up to his bike "Wild Child" and the very words are vividly painted on the belt drive; in fact every bit of the bike exudes a beauty and wild genius -- especially in the details. Both Indian Larry with his busily tattooed body and his bikes are loaded with content and meaning and the picture of him and Paul Cox look like they are on fire speeding along a quiet road on their beautiful unique bikes. It is amazing to have these photos since Indian Larry took the express to Biker Heaven.
   
   I enjoy paging thru the book looking at the different styles. In section 3, Seate has "new blood" and Tom Langton's Gold bike with a seat that says "Pleasure to Burn" almost makes me want to give my old school bike fantasies a rest...Almost!
   
   Billy Lane's bad boy hubless bike that looks like a bit of hell, insanity and chaos that found reason -- a reason to ride. Seate's description of Kendall Johnson's "paint schemes" using phrases like "Felliniesque circus nightmare" are insanely amusing but I found Johnson's work far more exciting featured on Discovery Channel than in this book.
   
   If you don't like paging thru a wide variety of bike themes this isn't for you. If you enjoy a big heavy book both in weight and variety than this is the book for you. I really enjoyed this book! You can return to this book over and over and enjoy something different each time or revisit your favorites. I return to the pages with Indian Larry and I am so glad I got to meet him and see his art in the flesh --- and metal.
   
   
   



4. This appeared verbatim in the magazine THUNDER PRESS.
   
   BTW, Zimberoff's next book (out next spring), a continuation and sequel to ART OF THE CHOPPER is dedictaed to INDIAN LARRY and contains a full chapter of his work, a portrait and his biography plus every other major builder on the planet.
   
   Reviewed by Terry Roorda
   
   QUOTE Dated photos gleaned from the collection of photographer Michael Lichter combine with perfunctory prose by writer Mike Seate to bring us "Choppers: Heavy Metal Art," a shameless effort to cash in on the current chopper craze by using the exact format found in the highly acclaimed and successful "Art of the Chopper" by Tom Zimberoff. That's it in nutshell, folks. The similarities in physical size, style and content between this work and Zimberoff's are striking to say the very least: A fat highly- produced coffee table book that examines a roster of custom bike builders through portraiture, some biographical verbiage and studio photos of some of their creations.
   
   That's where the similarities end. In the execution of that formula, Zimberoff's "Art of the Chopper" is fresh and literate while "Choppers: Heavy Metal Art" is stale and sophomoric. Seate's writing is lackluster at its best and painfully awkward most of the time, reading like the first draft of a work being produced on contract and on deadline. In three of the early vignettes in the book we are informed that "Colorado's Arlin Fatland has what you might call a wicked sense of humor," and that "Pat Kennedy of Tombstone, Arizona, is what you might call seriously old school," and that "Nothing about Kodlin's motorcycles is what you might call tradition- al." These excerpts are what you might call bad writing; the type of tedious template prose so devoid of creativity and enthusiasm for the subject matter that any editor worth the name would kick it back in disgust and demand another go. That's assuming there was an editor involved at all, and judging from the wealth of typos and awkward usages found in this book, there's little reason to believe there was. A truly ironic typo comes early in the going when in Seate's acknowledgments he pens this gem: "to Almetta, for never letting us forget the value of the wirtten word." Yes, folks, it says "wirtten." How's that for value?
   
   Here's some other stuff that made me wince: "Looking like a cross between a scene from a concert by gangsta rappers Insane Clown Posse and a Felliniesque circus nightmare, Johnson's paint schemes grab a viewer's attention and hold it rapt for hours." Hunh? Or how about this stinker: "These self-anointed keepers of the hardtail faith congregate in Internet chat rooms and in the letters pages of custom motorcycle-enthusiast magazines to heap dis and envy on builders who aren't afraid to move the art of the custom motorcycle into the twenty-first century." Ouch.
   
   There's plenty more where those came from. And the tragic thing about it is that Mike Seate is usually a competent and entertaining writer-and probably the most prolific wordsmith in the genre. Therein may lie the problem. This volume represents Seate's fifth book with the word "chopper" in the title, and four of those, including this one, were published in the span of less than a year and a half. Who wouldn't get burned out? The upside of "Choppers: Heavy Metal Art" are the images furnished by renowned biker photographer Michael Lichter, a man with one of the most impressive resumés in the industry. As always, his photos are luminous, and anyone familiar with his work in Easyriders magazine over the past couple of decades will recognize his style, but there's a problem here as well. These photos apparently came straight out of his existing inventory of bike feature shots, and many were taken years ago, going back as far as 1992. When you're making the case for custom bike building being a vibrant and dynamic craft in an exciting period of change, growth and popularity, wouldn't you want the timeliest material you could bring to the premise? Other complaints in this regard are that the names of the featured bikes are not provided, though they're often referred to in the copy, and the sparse technical data given for each consists only of frame style (rigid; Softail- type) and engine style (Panhead; Evolution-type), which are obvious attributes to anyone the least bit familiar with the subject, and of little or no educational value to those who aren't. Those criticisms aside, we have to understand that doing this book right would have taken some time, and clearly the publisher wanted to get into the market before Christmas with a product that would hopefully piggy- back on the success of "Art of the Chopper." That's understandable, if not admirable, from a business stand- point. From a creative standpoint it's disastrous. END QUOTE



5. Sometimes you see a book cover that jumps right out at you and grabs your fullest attention - this is the case for a great book for teenage boys called "Choppers." Well the cover was just the opening to a wonderfully and well written book about custom choppers. These motorcycles are really works of art and the color photos of them are classic!
   
   The authors, Mike Seate and Linda Black McKay, have done a good job of taking us on a visual journey of the mind and spirit with this book. They give the reader plenty of information to make it an educational journey (including a "Chopper Glossary" at the back of the book) yet the reader is always entertained and amused by the text and the color photos.
   
   If you are looking for a gift to give to a young man in your life then this is one book that will actually be read and looked through from beginning to end. It is fascinating and pure "dream candy" looking at what others have done to those two wheel machines. The choice of bikes to display and write about is a perfect balance of art and function. This book is part of a great series of books and like all the books in that series this is not limited to just young men. All male readers will enjoy looking at and reading this book.
   
   I personally recommend this book for all young male readers and those who are still young at heart! Choppers is given The American Authors Association's highest book rating for young readers - FIVE STARS.

2 comments about Honda Cb750 Sohc Fours 1969-1978.

1. Wiring diagrams are poorly done. They need total revamp, especially K3-K7. Also many photographs need better exposure/different film to give more clarity.



2. This is the best of it's kind. I would pefur the ( Honda ) service manual but it's not avabile.

4 comments about Yamaha XV (Virago) V-Twins 1981 to 2003 (Haynes Manuals).

1. Since this book is not specifically for my model of motorcycle, I must ensure that I am reading the sections just for my bike.



2. A good resource well illustrated but at times confusing due to the number of models it includes. A slimmer volume exclusively on each model / motor size would be easier to comprehend. That said it does the job.



3. I was impressed with this book didn't expect it to be a hardback. It covers several different bikes pretty good. Definetly worth the money.



4. 
   Yamaha XV (Virago) V-Twins 1981 to 2003 (Haynes Manuals)
   
   The book was perfect. My husband was very pleased with it. He was able to repair his bike with the help of the book.

3 comments about Clymer Bmw R850, R1100, R1150 and R1200c 1993-2005 (Clymer Motorcycle Repair) (Clymer Motorcycle Repair).

1. Just as I expected. Full of anything you want to know and then some more.



2. Unless you are going to let the dealer turn every screw on your bike, you need this. The BMW manual is hopelessly vague on so many items that there really isn't any substitute. I've found a few minor things wrong but overall it is extremely useful. The only thing I don't care for is that they've crammed so many models into the manual and there is no index, so it can take a while to find what you are looking for.



3. A must for any BMW owner. A bit too involved not easily organized. Would prefer chapters on individual maintance procedures instead of jumping through chapters to find information. Would also perfer a book on individual models instead of covering so many different bikes. Still it is a book that one should have to seriously maintain their bike.

5 comments about Motorcycle Journeys Through the Pacific Northwest (Motorcycle Journeys).

1. For a book so full of excellent detail on cities, roads, scenery, plus excellent photography, the reader's focus is systematically derailed due to chapter after chapter of oddly applied analogies.
   
   If only the author had stayed on task, (in writing a tour guide) and tossed out the truly weak references to area rides that he says: are like smorgasbords-don't go straight for the beef; national parks are like big fair rides-ferris wheels; touring roads that are like the rooms of a house; likening historic homes in coastal towns to homely sisters, and a host of other remarks that make the reader go, "Huh?". Can't tell you how many times it forced a re-read to see what 'must' have been missed. Every time, it turned out it was just plain goofy.
   
   One example? Pg. 94., 3rd para. the author talks of a river gorge and water cutting through it. "You can look at the dramatic torrent of water- a flow twice that of Niagara Falls-and wonder how a blind cow ever made it through alive."
   
   Huh?
   
   If there is a historical, regional, mythological, or folklore "cow" tale that the average reader might be too young, sheltered, or untraveled to know of, it behooves (not behoofs) the author to go the extra mile and explain. Otherwise it's goofy.
   
   It would have been a considerably better offering without the introduction of the numerous and curious distractions. And probably easier to write (although shorter). The effort would have garnered a strong four, perhaps more, but for the wasted ink. But due to goofy asides, and the dozen or more candy coated uses of: I love it, you'll love it, bikers will love, love this road/this ride; the multiple uses of romantic/romance, picnic, ice cream, and my honey, your honey..
   
   I can tell you Honey, a 3.5 is a fair (if not generous) call.
   
   It's a book about the Pacific NW motorcycle rides. The reader should not be distracted by the presence of the author. Not unless he's a whole lot funnier.



2. This is a great resource for anyone new to the area, new riders or for anyone just looking for some new rides. Most of the pages are devoted to major attraction, there are many great rides that are not mentioned, but there are only so many pages in a book. A great job of covering the Northwest area. Directions, distance and travel times have been pretty accurate. Accomidations mentioned are fairly current and up to date. I have used this book for inspiration on many occasions and have never been disapointed.
   If you are from outside the area and planning a scooter trip thru the great northwest, this book is a must! If you are from the area and just looking for some new ideas, this book probably isn't it, but it is still worth the read. Bruce has obviously put in a lot of miles on his bike in this area.



3. I am impressed with the book - lots of new roads to discover, many of which I would not tend to take on my own. Good book, worth the cost - also check out Destination Highways Washington (expensive but excellent)



4. Bruce Hansen has written a great travel guide for the motorcycle enthusiast. It doesn't have as much about the roads as it does the places to see and visit. My wife and I have read it cover to cover and Bruce's writing style is easy to read and entertaining. I recommend it for anyone looking to find some out of the way places to visit in our fine state.
   
   If you're looking for the best and most challenging roads for motorcycles in Washington, look no further than "Destination Highways Washington: A Motorcycle Enthusiast's Guide to the Best 346 Roads in Washington State". This is a very comprehensive collection of the curviest, most scenic, and best engineered roads, and has the best road specific details available.
   
   Between these two books, you can't go wrong. Both are well worth reading.



5. One of the few books dedicated to motorcyclists. Great pictures, and insightful content.
   The organization of the book makes it a little confusing or difficult to find something you are looking for. But once you find the content, the information is great.
   I just came back last week from riding in California, Oregon, and Washington, and I read this book just before leaving. I tried portions of the rides suggested and was very pleased. Most of the rides are loop oriented, meaning they bring you back to where you started from, while we were riding through those States. But I just picked interesting legs of his trips and included them in our path.

5 comments about The Harley Davidson Sportster.

1. This is a nice piece of work, as it chronicles the years leading up to the Sportster, starting with the pre-Sportster years of Model K, then on to the Sportsters themselves, from their inception in 1957 to today's rubber mounted models.
   
   The book has a friendly writing style, written by someone who knows and loves Sportsters like one of the legions of devoted Sportster riders around the world. He includes personal anecdotes, describing his experiences with the various models in an inviting style, as if he were in your living room just talking bikes with you and your friends.
   
   Descriptions of all the major developments and models include candid and unbiased observations from today's perspective, but what really makes this book a ride down memory lane are the quotes from motorcycle magazine reviews from back in the day, so we see the early Ironheads from today's eyes, as well as from the eyes of the riders of its time (funny how back then, no one complained of the excessive vibrations that we hear today of the older bikes, because most bikes were bone rattlers back then).
   
   Dewhurst devotes just about as much attention to the Ironhead era as he does the Evolution, or Blockhead era of today, and augments his writing with a healthy helping of David Dewhursts's photography. Surely people who had Sportsters up through the 80s will wax nostalgic when seeing photos of the old XLR, XLH (the gentleman's tourer), XLCR, and XLX Ironheads, among others. Newer riders will be able to trace how the Sportster evolved into what it is today, and notice how many similarities today's Sportsters still share with the old war horses, while still remaining a potent bike today.
   
   This is a great book for the Sportster enthusiast from any period, and anyone who is interested in motorcycle history. This bike fought back the British bikes up through the 60s until it was overtaken by the new, hot Japanese bikes. The Sportster is no super Sportbike today, but it is still a hot piece of machinery with the elegance and power of a simple muscle bike, and all the presence of a Harley Davidson. It is still a classic looking machine, whose aesthetics are still eagerly sought after today.



2. When I bought the book I was hoping that it would contain some useful information for me as a first time owner of a Harley-Davidson Sportster. I guess I should have done my homework better because this book did not contain anything useful for me apart from some nice pictures of Sportster models thru the years. So it is a nice coffee table book for people to browse through. I guess I should buy the service manual instead so that I can get some useful info if I want to get my hands dirty working on the Sportster :-)



3. When I was thinking about buying my first HD I did some research both on technical stuff and the history of its models. The model that attracted me the most was the Sportster, which is completing 50 years in 2007. This is a great book to tell us a little about its history and evolution. Since part of the fun in riding a Harley is enjoying its tradition (mechanicallywise you'd be better off riding a Honda), I highly recommend this book.



4. If you love Sportsters, like I do, you will love this book. It is well written, well illustrated, and fun to read. Not the most modern book, the most recent Sportsters are 4 years old now and not in this book by the time it was published, but nonetheless a good history.



5. Very nice book. Good photos and lots of info. But the history stops at 2004, so an update would be useful. This is really a valentine to the Sportster, and the author often glosses over their shortcomings. I think this is a mistake. I love Sportsters, but i'd like to hear both sides of the story.